The popularity of dramas like Succession and Yellowstone suggests we can’t get enough of watching wealthy, dysfunctional families. This week, one such clan is torn apart when a deceased self-made millionaire exacts revenge from beyond the grave by excluding his third wife and two grown-up sons from his will in U&Alibi’s new mystery thriller, I, Jack Wright.
Written by Chris Lang (Unforgotten), the six-parter begins with the apparent suicide of Jack Wright (Waking the Dead’s Trevor Eve). Married to third wife Sally (Citadel’s Nikki Amuka-Bird), Jack had two sons from his first marriage, eldest son Gray (Grace’s John Simm) and his brother John (Black Mirror’s Daniel Rigby).
As the Wright family gathers at the reading of Jack’s will, however, Sally, Gray and John are stunned to learn they’ve inherited… almost nothing! Later, DCI Hector Morgan (Game of Thrones’ Harry Lloyd) unearths evidence to suggest Jack didn’t take his own life, he was murdered!
John and Nikki tell us more…
How would you describe your characters in I, Jack Wright?
Nikki: "Originally from Tottenham, North London, Sally started life in foster homes but went to Cambridge University and carved out this extraordinary legal career for herself. She’s very glamorous, but she’s worked hard for everything she’s achieved, so she’s no ‘gold digger’! But, as the series opens, we find Sally in prison. It’s a real ‘riches to rags’ story."
John: "Gray is a complicated guy and a real troubled soul. He’s a bit of a 1990s throwback with a Liam Gallagher-type swagger, who runs an indie record label, but streaming has changed the game, so he's kind of a relic in the modern-day music business. It’s a world I can relate to [John starred in films Human Traffic and 24 Hour Party People]. Gray’s on a downward spiral; he drinks, takes drugs and owes money to some very dangerous people…"
A pivotal moment in the drama is when the entire Wright family gather at Jack’s will reading. How do Sally and Gray react to news they’ll hardly receive any of his inheritance?
Nikki: "The will reading divides everybody at the table into those who are surprised to receive this huge windfall… and those who've lost everything! Sally’s already enduring the grief of losing her husband and now there’s this huge feeling of betrayal and injustice that everything has been stripped away from her. But Sally’s NOT going down without a fight!"
John: "Gray’s absolutely gutted! Aside from being Jack’s eldest son, Gray feels like he’s owed something - he had a terrible upbringing, his dad totally neglected him and they became estranged. And because Gray had an awful childhood, in turn, so did his own daughter Emily (Cider With Rosie’s Ruby Ashbourne Serkis), Jack’s granddaughter. Gray was a terrible father when she was little; he was in a band, living the ‘rock and roll’ lifestyle, so he missed out on a lot."
In a shock twist, it’s Emily who inherits the bulk of Jack’s estate. What impact does this have on the Wright family, in particular on Gray and Emily’s father-daughter relationship?
John: "Gray’s always wanted to reconnect with Emily, who now lives in the US, to make up for being a bad father - but not like this! Our drama explores how fractious families can be; all the secrets and lies and things brushed under the carpet. I was intrigued by the mystery surrounding all these characters and in piecing together this jigsaw of what's gone on."
Nikki: "Viewers have always been fascinated with affluent, dysfunctional families on TV and how people who have everything may not be the happiest. Jack’s will causes chaos within the entire family, who end up turning against each other - but that’s how money corrupts."
With so many story arcs, how will viewers keep up with what’s going on?
Nikki: "Our writer Chris has come up with this incredible narrating device where, alongside the main drama, each member of the Wright family is filming their part of a true crime-style documentary in the present day. So, for example, Sally is filming her ‘interview’ from prison, then we see flashbacks to events leading up to her being incarcerated. Sally’s story is wild!"
DCI Hector Morgan (Game of Thrones’ Harry Lloyd), the detective probing Jack’s suicide, unearths evidence to suggest the patriarch was murdered. Did Gray or Sally do the deed?
Nikki: "All the characters are suspects, essentially, and are having to dig into their pasts to understand Jack’s will. The last thing Sally wants to hear is that her husband was murdered and that she could be incriminated, so she’s on her own hunt as well to uncover the truth."
John: "Gray might be a bit of an idiot but I don’t think he’s capable of murder. There’s lots going on in the psychological soup of Gray’s head and, as dark family secrets are revealed, you come to realise why he is the way he is. I had fun as Gray - after playing a good man like ITV detective Grace for five series, it was nice to go back to portraying the 1990s anti-heroes I used to specialise in!"
I, Jack Wright starts Wednesday, April 24 at 9 pm on U&Alibi, with all six episodes available as a box set.
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